Worth It Wednesday: Youtuber Edition!

Welcome back to Worth It Wednesday!!! I know.... I've been a major slacker on this feature. Whoops.

But I promise I will be better at posting in the future, starting today with the YouTube channels that I cannot stop watching. These are the ones that I will be in the middle of a different video, and get a notification and off I run to their channel. So without further ado, let's GOOOOO!

Outside Xtra

I stumbled upon this channel about a month ago, discovered from this video right here. Now, I am a huge nerd, and have always wanted to play D&D. However, without time nor a group, it's sorta hard to do. So I fell down a rabbit hole of live D&D games, and then ventured into the glorious myriad of lists that this channel has to offer. If you are a gamer of any sort, they will have something for you to enjoy.

The Fitness Marshall

This guy.... is so over the top and I love him for it. He does dance workout routines to popular songs, and they are so much fun to do and watch. Right now I am watching his vlogs and just laughing my butt off.

RachhLovesLife

Okay, I found RachhLoves about a year ago, when my daughter wanted to learn a little about how to apply makeup. Since I did not have the skillset at that time (I still don't fully, but I try), I went on YouTube, and the first channel I found that had easy to understand tutorials was Rachel's.

However, this is about her other channel. Now that Rachel is pregnant, her lifestyle channel has become my favorite. She posts about her cravings, trying recipes and hacks, and just has so much fun. I love her.

zefrank

Lastly, my go-to channel to laugh. The True Facts playlist features National Geographic-style documentaries... with a comic twist. The videos are informative, but funny to watch. There are also  some serious videos that are worth it (like this one).

So please, go head over to these channels, I hope you enjoy them. Also, if you would be so kind as to check out mine, give it a subscribe, a like, or even add a comment. I know it's super bare right now, but I am trying to build it up.

Thank you!

Tasty Tuesday: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

I am so mad at myself...

So, I was super excited to share this recipe with you guys. (I still am going to, don't worry.) However, I went into my recipe book.... and I had never carried it over from wherever I had written it!

UGHHHHHHHHHH!

It's fine, everything is fine. I looked it up (and found the right one because there are like 5 different ways to make these darn things), and the recipe will be linked below.

So, to explain these cookies: they are spicy chocolaty goodness. Every time I make them, they are scooped up by everyone, including the toddler. You can tweak the spiciness to fit your pallet, but they don't have a crazy amount of burn to begin with. They are pretty forgiving if you mess up on the flavored ingredients as well. This is probably one of my favorite cookies, and definitely super easy to make, so I hope you try it, and leave a comment telling me what you think!

Find the recipe HERE

new video up

Just a quick update to tell you my new video is up HERE

Please go check it out, leave me some comments, subscribe, etc.

Also, I am working on a few blog posts this week, one of which will be posted in about an hour!

You Do You

Below is my first Youtube video. I go off on a tangent, so I wanted to fully explain what I wanted to say here.

You do you. It doesn't matter if you are not "good enough", if you feel you don't have everything you need, or even if you feel like you will fail. If you have a passion, DO IT. I have so much fun doing my makeup, and painting my nails. But I look at the beauty gurus and influencers and think that I will never be on their level. That's okay. I don't have the fancy storage, or the best lighting. As a matter of fact, my polish is overflowing the shelving we got to hold it, and my method of sorting my makeup is... labeled ziplocs. For now, that works for me, and saves space that is limited.

It is okay to start small, and build up as you go. No matter what your passion is, there is only one thing not okay (unless it is illegal). The only thing that is not okay is NEVER FOLLOWING YOUR PASSION. Start. It will be hard, but it will be worth it. You only fail if you give up. And sometimes your way won't be clear, or you realize you need to go a different path. That is okay. Just keep pushing, and you will do great things.

I hope you enjoy my video, and look forward to posting more soon. (One day I will have a schedule lol)

My Unpopular Opinion: Game of Thrones Book Series

I may get a lot of hate for this post...


I love to read, and I love fantasy books. BUT...

I could not force myself to read more than five chapters, if that. I felt that I was being tortured by every line of description and dialogue.

(We will never be friends.)

I was super excited to read this, as I had at that point watched the first two seasons of the HBO series. Plus, it came highly recommended to me by numerous people. However, I was BORED. Truth be told, I cannot remember anything of what I read, just the thought, "I will never pick up this book again". I have two bookshelves, and this series will never live there. 

I did not like the layout of the book, even as I understood why it rotated through everyone's stories. It was slow to build, and hard to follow. It's easy to be caught in the flow of description, trying to flesh out backstory and settings. This book did it to the extent that it hurt my head. 

I am sorry if this offends anyone. Also, just in case you were wondering, I did not get though the show either. I stopped watching after the Red Wedding, it was too gruesome and upsetting for me to continue. It also ruined David Bradley (the actor who played Walder Frey) for me.

Fitbit Alta HR Review

Hello, everyone!

Today, I will be doing a (very late) review of the Fitbit Alta HR.

If you have read some of my earlier posts, I did a review on the Fitbit Flex a few years back. I loved the device, however, it lacked one thing: a heart rate monitor. So I waited, and saved, and finally Fitbit came out with a new device that I thought would suit my needs.

Just like my old model, this one came with one band, and a charger. This model is slimmer, and tracks more than just steps.  It works with the same app as before, and I did have issues at first getting this one to be the main device. The bands are interchangeable, but I have had them break away from the clasp. 

The monitor is on the underside of the device, and you have to make sure to not have it too tight, or it will not read your heart rate. I have sensitive skin, so the band does sometimes irritate my wrist. I do not get it wet, as I feel that unlike the first one, this may not be water resistant. 

Overall, I do like this model. It is light, fits well, and does what it is supposed to.

My "Best Friend" Book

Already, I can feel the sneers, the confused looks, and a few smiles.

"What the heck is a best friend book??"

Simply put, this is a book that you keep coming back to, a comfort object.... a familiar face. It's the book that you reach for if you have a bad day, and need to retreat to a safe space. Mine has been and always will be Anne.

I didn't use the whole title, because Anne is a series. She's a movie. She's a Netflix show. She is my saving grace. I love every version of her, and every moment spent with her is magical. 

I love Anne's story because she is so whimsical, but also because the "side" characters are so amazing. (I put side in quotations because, honestly, I view them all as main characters). The setting is defined so clearly you can see it. It feels like you are right there with them, laughing, crying, and dealing with life. When my problems are too much, I go to her, and she helps me find peace.

Not gonna lie, but my first crush was Gilbert Blythe, who is a pivotal character in Anne's story. I am actually sorta upset about how his life is going in the Netflix series; I feel he deserves more. However, he is endearing, and slightly impish when you are first introduced to him, and I still love him to this day. (I cried when the actor that played him, Jonathan Crombie, died.)

I usually have at least two copies of the first book on my bookshelf, in case one mysteriously disappears. That way, if I have need of Anne, she will always be there.

What is your best friend book? Let me know in the comments.

3

You are in my mind 

I can look there and see you

Any time I want

But no

I want you outside

I need to feel

Your arms around me

See the joy in your smile

You are a piece of my soul

In another person's body

And I feel you

Wherever you are

My best friend

My sidekick

My protector

I will always need you

But I shouldn't need you

...But I do.

Feel What You Do

Life is too short to live with regrets.

Every so often, I forget that. Sometime I lose sight of the fact that life should be filled with your joy, not just your sorrows.

I have felt a lot of sorrow lately. Some is explainable (anniversaries of loved ones deaths are within the first 4 months of the year), but some just hits fast, hard, and out of nowhere. I can't stop it, I can't explain it. But, I also know that it needs to stop.

More often than not, I find myself too busy to take care of my mind. I shower, brush my teeth, go to work, eat, sleep.... but what do I do for my SOUL? Usually, nothing. I stretch my nerves to the breaking point and then crash in a heap of stress. And I know a lot of people do the same.

STOP IT.

Take care of your spirit. Nurture yourself, like you did as a kid. Play, read, write, love.

I love with my whole being. It is who I am, who I've always been. I bring joy to people by being me. But sometimes, there's a voice (either in my head or outside my body) that says "No, you are too friendly. You are doing something wrong." But... what is wrong with spreading love in a world full of hate? What is wrong with loving someone and wanting them to know that someone cares about them? NOTHING.

Do what you feel, and feel what you do.

Spread joy and love, and feel it in you. But as the same idea, if you spread hatred, maybe try to feel that too. Feel how it affects others. And make a change.

If you love something, do it. Nurture that desire to change, to dream. Don't be afraid to make waves. Climb trees, read books, listen to music.

BE YOU. Because in the end, you are the only one that can make you happy.

Instagramming it up

Recently, I have rediscovered my love of nail polish, as well as started diving into the makeup world. Lemme tell ya, there is a LOT of info, techniques, and different products out there. I like playing with makeup, but my real joy comes from nails.

I have watched so many nail videos, and collected a decent collection of polishes. (It started as 5, and just keeps expanding) They were in a bag, but quickly had to be moved to a bin. Shortly after, there were so many that they destroyed that, and now they are in a cart. Whoops!

I will not be posting any photos of my nail work here. However, If you are interested, my instagram handle is @trishcrusebeauty and you can follow me. I post a new design at least once a week, and plan to start tutorials on Youtube ASAP.